NU offensive line has high expectations
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BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
To be an offensive lineman is to toil largely in anonymity. Headlines rarely include one’s name unless he’s injured. Television highlights discriminate against the big boys in favor of the fleet-footed touchdown-makers.
In general, attention rarely befriends them.
But here we are — in this Husker offseason after that murky fall of 2007 — and it’s the grunts up front who are getting some love.
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The Nebraska football team will face plenty of unknowns next Wednesday when spring football begins, but coaches seem to already be full of optimism about the offensive line.
Husker coach Bo Pelini said last week that he even sees the offensive line as a strength of this football team.
“We think that we’re not only going to have a good starting line,” Pelini said, “but we’re going to have a little bit of depth there.”
Both Pelini and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said producing a more feared running game will be a priority of this offense.
Music to a 300-pounder’s ears.
“Guys are pretty excited about that,” said senior offensive lineman Mike Huff.
In some ways, it’s tough to get a fair read on Nebraska’s running game last season. Due to a struggling defense and the fact NU trailed big in many games, the Huskers were often in catch-up mode, throwing the ball more than they wished.
Last season, more than 69 percent of Nebraska’s offensive yardage came through the air. The Huskers passed the ball 488 times and ran it 417, averaging 144.4 yards rushing a game.
And if you take away the Nevada game, in which NU had 413 yards rushing, the Huskers averaged just 120 yards a contest on the ground the final 11 games.
By comparison, back in 2006 when Nebraska carried the offensive motto “pound the rock,” the Huskers rushed the ball 554 times and averaged more than 170 yards a game on the ground.
“Do we pound it?” Lucky said at one point during last year’s frustrating season. “No, we don’t pound it.”
But the dawn of a new spring has naturally produced a bounty of optimism, and there’s plenty of good feeling in Husker camp about the talent Nebraska brings back on its O-line.
Huff said he thinks the line has the most depth its had in recent years and that there will be little drop-off between starters and backups.
“I’ve always thought we had talent but now we have a lot of experience coming back,” Huff said. “In past years, I wouldn’t be able to say that about our two-deep.”
Nebraska loses two starters from last season in left tackle Carl Nicks and center Brett Byford, and could possibly be without Andy Christensen, who is indefinitely suspended after being arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.
If Christensen were in the fold, he likely would be a strong candidate to start at either center or guard. Without him, junior Jacob Hickman might be a leading contender for the center position.
Based on where guys were last year, top candidates for the tackle spots could be Matt Slauson, Mike Smith, Lydon Murtha and Jaivorio Burkes.
Huff, Keith Williams and D.J. Jones would then seem probably names to fill the guard positions.
Huff said it didn’t take long for him to connect with Barney Cotton, now in charge of the offensive line coaching duties after the departure of Dennis Wagner.
“Our philosophy is everybody is going to get a fresh start, and the best guys are going to play,” Cotton said soon after taking the position. “Hopefully, there will be great competition.”
Huff said now it just comes down to guys being ready to put in the extra work.
“We have to go out and prove ourselves,” he said.
He’s optimistic from what he’s seen during winter conditioning drills under the direction of Nebraska football strength and conditioning coach James Dobson.
Huff said players are doing their weight room work in lifting groups, usually made up of 15 to 20 people. The groups never change, so guys are always working out with the same guys, pushing each other.
In previous years, Huff said guys worked out with whomever and basically did so at their own pace.
Huff said he thinks the changes have provided “a lot more accountability for guys.”
Of course, Husker players felt optimism coming out of winter conditioning last year, too.
No one then would have dreamed a 5-7 season would follow — a season any offensive lineman would surely like to forget, right?
Actually, no.
“We don’t forget about last year,” Huff said. “It’s definitely a motivational factor. Nobody wants that to happen again.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
